JONES Group finance director Mr Niall Pelly is resigning from the group in April. The accountant was brought into Jones in 1990 by Mr Walter Con nor, who resigned as chief executive last November to "pursue a changed lifestyle". Mr Pelly (50) is understood to have worked closely with Mr Connor.

Mr Pelly joined Jones as chief executive of its manufacturing division and was appointed finance director in 1993. In a statement to the Stock Exchange yesterday, Jones gave no reason for Mr Pelly's decision to resign. Neither Mr Pelly nor Jones chief executive Mr Pat Nevin were available for comment yesterday. A company spokesman said Jones was not prepared to discuss the announcement. He said Mr Pelly will not leave the company until April.

Last October, when Jones chairman Mr Denis Magee reported an unexpectedly poor set of first half results, he warned against any expectation of an improvement in the second half. Pre tax profits fell 13 per cent to £1.49 million for the six months to the end of June 1995, but, more significantly, profits in the group's continuing operations fell 22 per cent to £1.37 million.

He conceded that results for the year to the end of December would be "bloody awful".